Personal Statement Advice Archives

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How to Get Advice for Your Personal Statement

Obviously, you want to get advice from someone who writes well, can be frank with you, and has some understanding of the field to which you are applying. If you choose to get advice from...

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Three Tips for Scholarship Essays

At Gurufi, we know that getting in is often only half the battle! Paying for it can be just as -if not more- stressful as applying. With the average cost of graduate school starting at...

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Ten Tips for Your Grad School Writing Sample

Many graduate programs, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, request that applicants submit a writing sample. At Gurufi, our experienced editor have helped scores of successful applicants refine their writing samples and earn admission...

Mastering the MBA Personal Statement: From CV to Compelling Story

Crafting an MBA personal statement can be daunting. For many applicants, it's the most uncomfortable part of the application process, transforming a straightforward CV into a compelling narrative. Yet, mastering this challenge is crucial for...

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10 Questions About Graduate School Personal Statements

Deciding to attend graduate school is a huge decision, and from the moment you begin this journey, it’ll be clear that your personal statement is the centerpiece of your application. More than any other single...

College-aged student handing over CV and personal statement to a smiling professor in a colorful cartoon office setting, with books, laptop, and certificates in the background.

Ten Tips for Getting a GREAT Letter of Recommendation

In the competitive world of applications—whether for college, graduate school, or a new job—a strong letter of recommendation can be a deciding factor in your favor. At Gurufi, where we specialize in personal statements, CVs,...

A four-panel cartoon illustrating the journey of a medical school applicant. In the first panel, a weary student stands at the start of a long, winding path carrying a heavy backpack filled with books, a laptop, and papers. In the second panel, the student, looking even more exhausted, reaches a point where the path splits into multiple smaller paths. In the third panel, the student sits on a rock, looking at a map while a mentor figure offers a bottle and smiles encouragingly. In the fourth panel, the student appears confident and focused, writing on a laptop with papers spread out around them.

How to Build Powerful Med School Secondaries

Here at Gurufi, we spend much of the late summer and early fall working with hundreds of clients to perfect their medical school secondaries. In my experience, at this point, applicants are quite exhausted by...

applicant preparing his medical school application

Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Personal Statement, Secondaries, and Work & Activities

Of all the graduate and professional schools, medical school has the most onerous admissions process. Between MCATs, science prerequisites, personal statements, and secondaries, it can certainly feel overwhelming. In the 15 years we’ve been helping...

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How to Select Your Three “Most Significant” Activities on Your AMCAS Work & Activities Section

Medical school applicants often worry about which activities to select as their “most significant” on their AMCAS Work & Activities section. Over the last 17 years, Gurufi editors have helped hundreds of successful applicants craft...

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Storytelling Mistakes on Your Personal Statement (and how to avoid them!)

In nearly 20 years of helping people get into their dream schools, I’ve made a point of working with clients to create essays that are both engaging and substantive. This balance is the key to...